With all the exciting news announcedyesterday I was particularly struck by how the answer for the best “Developer Machine” has suddenly gotten a lot more interesting. So I sat down and configured a base developer-class machine in each model. The rules was to get the cheapest machine with the following characteristics:

An Intel Core i7 processor.

8GB of RAM, upgraded via macsales.com (if possible)

I think those criteria generally fit with the needs of the average developer. While there will always be improvements possible via bumping specs, this served as a baseline which almost all the machines could meet.

The results are as follows:

Model</th

Resolution

CPU

RAM

Cost

11” MB Air

1366x768

1.8Ghz Dual

4GB

$1,349

13” MB Air

1440x900

1.8Ghz Dual

4GB

$1,699

13” MB Pro (Glossy)

1280x800

2.7Ghz Dual

8GB

$1,584

15” MB Pro (Glossy)

1440x900

2.0Ghz Quad

8GB

$1,849

15” MB Pro (Matte)

1680x1050

2.0 Ghz Quad

8GB

$1,999

17” MB Pro (Glossy)

1920x1200

2.2GHz Quad

8GB

$2,549

17” MB Pro (Matte)

1920x1200

2.2GHz Quad

8GB

$2,599

Mac Mini

N/A

2.0Ghz Quad

8GB

$1,083

Mac Mini + Cinema

2560x1440

2.0Ghz Quad

8GB

$2,082

Mac Mini + 24”

1920x1080

2.0Ghz Quad

8GB

$1,263

21.5” iMac

1920x1080

2.8GHz Quad

8GB

$1,784

27” iMac

2560x1440

3.4GHz Quad

8GB

$2,284

Mac Pro

N/A

2.8Ghz Quad Xeon

8GB

$2,659

Mac Pro + Cinema

2560x1440

2.8Ghz Quad Xeon

8GB

$3,658

Mac Pro + 24”

1920x1080

2.8Ghz Quad Xeon

8GB

$2,839

The 24” display listed for the Mac Mini and Mac Pro is a run of the mill Viewsonic from Amazon, which runs $180

Shown graphically sorted by price:

Observations

Based on that data, I’d recommend the Mac Mini as the best choice for a developer looking for a new machine. If you absolutely need portability then the 15” MacBook Pro (Matte) is the clear choice. You would, however, be paying $736 (+58%) for the ability to move it around. You can pick up a refurbished late model 11” MacBook Air for $749, which might be a better choice to get in addition to the Mac Mini.

With either choice, I’d recommend upgrading the internal drive to an SSD, which currently runs you $199 for 115GB. This is probably the biggest reason I’d stay away from the iMac right now. Upgrading the hard drive in an iMac is a risky proposition, at best. The only Apple available SSD option is a $500 256GB add-on.